


Life after Voldemort

by plsnskanks (orphan_account)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Or try to, and they rule the school, scorpius and teddy are basically family, there's thirteen weasley-granger-potter-dursley cousins, will add characters as they come into the story - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-28
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-09-01 16:15:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16768546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/plsnskanks
Summary: In which: The Weasley cousins overrun Hogwarts and have a hell of a time doing it, Hermoine becomes minister of Magic and seeks to merge the magic and muggle world, and Arthur Weasley learns about airplanes.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This series is legit just exploring the Harry Potter world and going more in depth into what the magical school is like, the order of the chapters may change and shift around as I add more arcs/short stories to this.

It was the first weekend Lily spent at Hogwarts in which James had a brilliant, which is to say awful, idea. The merry band of cousins were rounded up and a game of hide and seek was started. Including Teddy, virtually an honorary Weasley by the amount of time he spent stuck at Victoire’s side, there were thirteen of them in all. Pansy Dursley, was their real thirteenth, but she was a year younger than Lily, and, to her grandmother's great ambivalence, would be attending next year.

Lily was first to go and easily found Teddy by his tuft of bright blue hair sticking out from behind a suit of armor. Then it was Roxanne, who found Hugo but only because Peeves caught wind of the game and threw a dungbomb down right outside his hiding place. Next it was Molly and on and on and on. The game paused for dinner and then resumed after, an edge of excitement and mystery flooding the game as more ghosts came out with the evening air and the hallways became dimmer, lit by flickering lamp lights.

Some of the older cousins used their wands to snuff out the lamps, forcing the seekers to utter a quick little _lumos_ and continue the game by wand light. 

Lily found herself getting more and more adventurous with her exploration of the castle until, giggling mischievously she found herself quite a ways away from the calls of her cousins and siblings and after a while of wandering, found herself completely and utterly lost. She climbed up stairs and down them, followed straight hallways that seemed never ending, and finally, after what felt like hours of trying to reorient herself found herself in a tall tower, where she could see every part of the castle, but knew how to get to precisely none of it.

Lost and cold, and far, far too afraid to try finding her way back to the Fat Lady by herself when she was quite sure it was past curfew, Lily sat down and looked out at the star speckled sky and began to cry. Here she was, alone on her first weekend away from home, bound to be in trouble the next day, and positively being eaten up from the inside with homesickness.

Images of ashamed looking parents coming to take her from the formidable looking Headmistress McGonagall merely goaded on Lily’s tears.

Her only comfort was the full moon that kept the darkness from closing in on her as she sat, holding her wand until she was white knuckled. 

“What are you crying for?” an eerily familiar voice asked.

Lily’s face snapped up in horror at the sound of another’s voice, despite its calm inflection. There in the pale moonlight, stood an equally pale, somewhat translucent figure.

Lily had heard stories of the ghosts of Hogwarts from her father, and indeed, at the sorting ceremony the rather gruesome ghost with his head half lopped off had given Lily a friendly little wave. She found it a queer sight up close, however.

The man looked familiar, she felt as if she had seen him at a family gathering or party, somewhere, but she couldn’t quite place her finger on where. He was young, older than Victoire, but not by much.

“Well?” the ghost said, head tilting as he asked the question. “Normally I’d play a prank on the sort to be out after dark, but you? I just don’t have the heart.”

At the sound of his voice, recognition flooded Lily.

“You sound like my cousin Fred,” Lily said and as she squinted at him she realized he quite looked like him too.

“I do, do I?” Said the ghost with a wan smile. “You remind me of a mousy little girl that liked to ride broomsticks that weren’t hers and didn’t like answering questions when asked either.”

It took Lily a moment to recognize the prod, she hastily wiped the tears from her face and pulled a rather wet snort that had the ghost crinkling his nose in amusement.

“I’m lost.”

“It’s a roomy place, I can see how it happened,” said the ghost, spreading his arms wide as he leaned back and let himself pass through the floor. He was gone a few seconds and just as the creep of loneliness was setting in again he rose through the floor, stopping at his neck. He raised an eyebrow at Lily who couldn’t help but giggle.

“I’ve just gone and had a looksee for you, Filch and that fleabag of his are somewhere on floor two and if you want to follow me, you can sleep in your own bed tonight.”

“Alright,” said Lily tentatively, getting to her feet.

“Excellent,” said the ghost and he floated all the way up through the floor, shooting her a broad smile. She followed after him as he went down the tower stairs, through the winding halls, down several more stairs, occasionally stopping her to have a look around corners. On one such occasion he put his finger to his lips, looking alarmed.

“Damn that old bag moves fast. Hold up a minute,” the ghost said. He stuck his head out and in a harsh whisper said “Oi, oi Peeves.”

A second ghost seemed to come swooping out of nowhere, loudly cackling as he approached. Lily recognized him as the ghost that had pushed a couple first years off their boats as they had approached the castle.

“Weasley, how can be of service tonight?” Said Peeves with a low bow. Lily’s eyebrows shot up at once as she mouthed the name in surprise. She looked about to speak when the ghost turned back to her and shot her a warning look, shaking his head.

“Care to keep things busy for Filch down that way? Get him off this floor and keep him off?” 

“My pleasure,” said Peeves and shot off the opposite way. Moments later an angry cry was heard from Filch and a screech from Mrs. Norris. The ghost winked at Lily.

“Weasley?” Lily asked.

“I would say the one and only but we both know that’s a crock, come on now, you follow me and ask questions as we go. Peeves is eventually going to decide getting us in trouble is more entertaining than annoying Filch.” 

Lily obeyed, looking at him more closely now that she realized he was blood.

“Are you Uncle George’s twin?” Lily asked, remembering the seldom told story about how her uncle had lost his ear, several classmates, and his twin in a big battle at Hogwarts. Lily had learned to keep her questions to herself as while her relatives did answer her questions patiently and in gentle tones, the pained expressions on their faces made her hesitate to ask further. Her grandmother’s eyes would grow misty at the mere mention of the subject.

“There’s a girl.” Fred said. “How is my other half, by the by? Who did he end up with?”

“Aunt Angelina,” Lily said.

“Johnson?”

Lily nodded.

Fred snorted and let out a low whistle, “Well that’s one way to meet an early grave.”

Lily frowned at him.

“Nevermind,” Fred said. “If you knew her when she was, well, my age,” he pointed to himself. “You’d understand.”

“How come no one’s ever mentioned you being here?” They took another sharp turn and there they were, face to face with the Fat Lady who thankfully was still awake, albeit just barely.  
Fred seemed to mull the question over for a long moment, “Well that would be because they don’t know I am here.”

“Why not?”

“Because I decided not to move on and figured I would give everyone else the option as well,” Fred said gravely.

“Does that mean I won’t see you anymore?” Lily said, lip quivering slightly as she asked. 

“Oh now, that’s good, you have the puppy dog eyes down pat, really know how to work a room,” Fred said and then let out a heavy sigh. “How could I miss out playing pranks with my own niece? I couldn’t.”

“If you ever need me, well, I’ve seen your big brother out and about afterhours with an old scrap of paper, get that from him and you’ll know how to find me, as long as you solemnly swear you’re up to no good,” a peculiar emphasis was put on the last couple words that Lily didn’t quite understand.

Fred sighed, “You’re as bright as your mother. Which is to say, bright as a brick and as red as one too. I would ask how she is,” Fred eyed Lily who let out a wide yawn, “But I can hear someone coming and you should really be off to bed.” 

Fred snapped his fingers, and said to the now rather impatient looking Fat Lady, “Gobbledygook, my good madam.” 

With a little “hmph” the Fat Lady swung open and with a last look over her shoulder at Fred, who gave a jaunty little wave, Lily stepped inside. The entire common room turned to look at her as Lily saw most of her cousins gathered in one place, even the ones who weren’t from Gryffindor. Unsurprisingly, the ones who had prefect status and thus were authorized to be out at this hour, were absent.

Roxanne leapt up from where she was sitting and rushed over, “Lily, I am so sorry, hide and seek was a terrible idea to play with first years. Are you alright?”

“She won didn’t she?” said Hugo, grinning at his sister who glared at him in annoyance. 

“Hugo this place is awful to be alone at night, especially if you’ve never been their before. She’s lucky she didn’t run into the Bloody Baron or anything like that,” Lucy said reproachfully.

“I’m fine,” Lily said, wondering if she should extrapolate on the events of the night, but decided upon seeing the variety of worried faces around her she would abstain. 

“We’re just glad you’re safe,” said Albus, getting up to give his sister a hug.

“I’ll take you up to bed, you must be tired,” Roxanne said as she came over to take her cousin by the hand. 

But Lily found that she wasn’t tired. She was excited. A low thrum filled her stomach as she lay in bed and thought of meeting her uncle again, and wondering what other secrets and sights Hogwarts had yet to reveal to her.


	2. Chapter 2

“P-p-p,” Petunia tried, white lipped and pale-faced as she saw her youngest grandchild, dear, sweet loveable Pansy, that one, with the incorrigible habit of tattling, and turning purple faced when she held her breath to get what she wanted. Her adorable little girl all done up in delicate bows and frills, trouncing across the living room….

Was levitating a tea cup.

“Mum,” Dudley said approaching his mother the way one might a wounded animal, hands put up to placate. “Please, please don’t make a scene.”

“P-p-p,” his mother continues to splutter. Dudley’s wife April, also in the room, looks equally astounded, but had enough composure to not show it so brazenly on her round and rather pink face.

“We can talk to Harry about this, I am sure he will know what to do.” Dudley had quite an amicable relationship with his cousin now. Things had been quite patched up and they had shared a few lovely holiday dinners together. He had married a lovely girl and even been over to her odd, but quite inviting home a time or two, cramped at the end of a rather squashed dining room among a sea of chattering red heads, with thankfully nothing off color put in his food for once. Though he couldn’t say he liked the way the one-eared one leered at him.

During these dinners he had learned quite a bit more about the magic world than he had previously known and come to understand more about some of the odd incidents he had encountered as a child.

So it did not perturb him much to learn that his daughter was apparently taking after Lily’s side of the family. It seemed he would be alone in that boat.

“Pansy!” His mother finally manages to shriek out and the child startles with a small jump and the tea cup goes crashing to the floor where it shatters as Pansy starts up a wail of her own.

“Mother, I would appreciate if you not shout at her,” Dudley says calmly as he scoops up his crying daughter. He bounces her on his knee a few moments as the rest of the room stares at the two of them in silence. His father is quiet, jaw working away under his still quite bushy, albeit greying mustache as Dudley’s wife sits in stunned silence.

“That man has no business being near our grandchild,” Dudley’s father spits. Every muscle of his body seems drawn tight with suppressed rage, although he admits it is less formidable now that his dad is getting on in years, with quite a considerable gut, some arthritis and grey added to his appearance.

“Harry? He was quite lovely the last few times we met,” April says softly.

“He is a menace,” his father retorts without hesitation.

“Dad the last time you saw him he was seventeen,” Dudley says in exasperation. “You haven’t gotten to know him now that he is all-.”

“I know all there is to know about his kind, I’ll tell you.”

“April dear,” Dudley says, turning to his wife and smiling kindly at her. “Can you take Pansy out to the sitting room for a bit.” He passes Pansy off to his wife after she nods and then sweeps the two of them out of the room in a sort of hustled scurry.

Dudley turns back to face his two parents. One white. One red.

“I don’t think you’ve been fair at all to Harry and the like,” Dudley said seriously. “Harry saved me over the summer, his kind saved our family.”

“From their own ruddy kind!” Shouted his father. “We shouldn’t have had a fraction of the trouble had that boy not been a, a w-, a wuh-,” It had been years and his father still couldn’t manage to say it.

“A wizard, dad,” Dudley said, and he hear a muffled scream from behind his mother’s fingers. He barely spares his mother’s theatrics half a glance. “Pansy didn’t choose either. And we are not going to protect her by pretending she is something she is not. It didn’t work for Harry, and I won’t try and make it work for her either.”

The room is deathly silent as the three of them stay, staring, no one daring to make a comment as if there was some unnamed predator in the room with them that would rip out their throats if any of them dared make a sound. Dudley sits with his hands folded neatly in his lap. His mother seems to be about to cry and his dad is just quietly shaking in his chair, his great paws of hands gripping the arms so tight Dudley was surprised that the seams didn’t burst and spill out cotton.

“Mum, Dad, I love you very much,” Dudley began, taking on that calm sort of lukewarm tone he had in the past saved for breakups and other volatile conversations of the like. “But on this topic, I have made up my mind and I am going to be phoning Harry,” internally Dudley winces at the grimace that comes across his father’s face. “And April and I will hear him out and decide what is best for Pansy.”

Stony faces greet his proclamation.

“If you would rather not see your own granddaughter in the wake of all this,” Dudley starts. He is interrupted by the sound of Pansy giggling in the other room as his wife murmurs something gently to her in response.

“What nonsense are you on about, of course we’ll see her,” his father snaps, almost on impulse. Years of dealing with his family and scapegoating Harry had taught Dudley the value of masking his emotions, so outwardly he doesn’t react but inwardly he feels nothing but a rust of pure invigoration as his father flushes at the realization that he has been caught out.

“Excellent then, be back over next Sunday then?” Dudley said, taking on a bracing tone before either of his parents could really cotton on to the underlying implications.

“Of course Dudders, lovely to see you,” his mother says, voice still wavering and faint.

Dudley stands, dusting off imaginary crumbs from his front, “Well thank you for having me, April and I have an appointment at home in a bit.”

His father is a rather sickish color and Dudley doesn’t think he can quite recall him ever really being the sort to have a thinking face, but if he had to call it something, a rather mottled one it would be. Dudley gives hugs and his wife reenters, Pansy toddling in tow and goodbye kisses and hugs are given all around and his father is looking considerably less rancid as two soft plump lips touch the side of his face and kind and cordial “Goodbye Grandpa” is issued, followed by two small arms lacing themselves around his neck.

His father kisses the top of her head and follows it with a pat and his mother likewise squeezes Pansy until she giggles and gives her a peck on the cheek. 

Then the three of them are off and walking briskly to their car.

“Well that went well,” Dudley said as he watched his daughter skip cheerily in front of him.

“They were shell-shocked, absolutely aghast,” April scolded him. “Did you know about?” She pointed wordlessly to Pansy.

“Not even the slightest,” Dudley says brightly.

April tsks but doesn’t offer further comment. If there was one thing Dudley had to appreciate about his wife through all this, it was how amicable she was to the weirdness. He wonders how many horrible childhood memories he could have circumvented if he hadn’t been such a rotter to Harry as a kid.

“What appointment do we have at home?” April asked.

“A phone call to my dear cousin,” Dudley says as he opens the car door for his wife and then for his daughter who flounces inside.

**Author's Note:**

> I changed the canon ages a bit and decided on the ones that were murky/ill defined, basically Victoire Weasely is a seventh year when Pansy Dursley is a first year so all 13 cousins were at school together for one year. Im going to jump around time wise but order things chronologically.


End file.
